hibbard



GTAR

(NoModGL) G Sheets-Sheet ROTARY GAS ENGINE.

No. 424,009. "Paented Mar. 25, 1890.

[No Model.) G E PBB RD -7 Sheets-Sheet 4,

ROTARY GAS ENGNE.

l Il

PatentedMa. 25, 3.890.

@o Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 5.

E. Ewmj 30mm GAS mmm. l @10.424,09@ lEmme@Mlm25,18% 1E-1.2.. E Wm ig N (No Mdel.) Sheets--Sheet 6.

G. E. BBLRB. 30mm GAS mama No. 424,090, y mama Mm. '25, 1899.

(No Mude) T Sheets--Sheet T,

30mm' GAS mslm.

No. 424,000; aemefar, 25, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT raies.

GEORGE E. HIBBARD, OF CIIICAG, ILLIN-Ol.

RoTARvGAS-Eueius.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,000, dated March `25, 1890. Application filed July l2, 1887. Serial No. 244,050, (No modell) To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, (mosca E. IIIBBARD, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain niw aud useful Improvements in Rotary GasEngines, of which the following/is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ol' this speeilicat'ion, in which-- v Figure l is an elevation representing what I term the lront` of the exigirle. Fig. E. is a like view,in which certain of the parts are shown in vertical Seetiou and others broken away to show ihe interior mechanism. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view in plan upon the line .11.1', Fig. 2. Fig. l is a rearelevation or 'a view upon the opposite side from that shown in Fig. l. Fig. 5 is lan en l view in detail showing the relative position of the compression-tanks and air-pumps, a portion of the operating mechanism being omitted. Fig. 6 is a transverse' sectional View in detail ot' av portion of one of the rotating disks, which serves as a temporary abutment or eylimler-head, together with the shaft to which said disk is attached and the ease by which the same is inelosed. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a portion ot said revolving disk, taken-upon the line [i] y, Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view ot the shell or cyliudcr and revolving disks, taken in the plane of the meeting ilanges oi' said cylinder as viewed from the rear of the engine and in the direction indicated by the arrow shown in Fig. il; and- Fig'. El is a front view, partly in section, showing a modilication of the construction represented in the other figures, the emnpresshntanks being omitted therefrom.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the dill'erent figures.

My inveniion relates to gas-engines; and the objects` aimed at in said invention are, iii-st, to const ruel a rotary gas-engine so that the pistou may be rotated by means of the explosion of gas in theI main cylinder Without. producing any violent or uneven movement of the engine-shaft; second, to provide means whereby the movementof the piston may be initiated upon the admission of gas to the cylinder; third, to utilize the impact of the explosion iu pumping atmospheric air for mixing with the gas to form an explosive compound; fourth, to automal'ieally govern the supply ofair and gas to the cylinder in bon oils; and, lastly, to render said engine reversible,all of which l accomplish substanr tially as hereinafter set t'orth and claimed.

I prefer to so construct said engine that it may be operated by means of gas generated directly for its consumption within connect ing apparatus Ior by illuminating-gas taken direct-ly from the Street-main; and as the'latter may be employed 'with better results when passed through said apparatus than When conveyed directly to the cylinder l have shown said engine in' conuectionwith said generating apparatus as the preferable form of construction, though I do not intend to comino-myself thereto, for said apparatus may be omitted with goed results and with out varying the more important features of .my invention, as hereinafter-shown and der scribed.

Referring to the drawings, Are/presents the frame of my improved engine, upon which is n'iounted an annular cylinder or shell B, which is formed in two parts bolted' together by means of lianges b b, thus forming an interior annular chamber B', Figs. 3 and 8.'

il?, Fig. 3,1epresent-s a water-jacket surrounding said eylindenhaving inlet and outlet pipes l1 Ii.'

C indicates the eugine-shaft, which passes horizontally through the shell, as clearly shown in FigQS. Upon said shaft is rigidly mounted a hub l), Figs. 3 and 8, to which in turn is attached a piston E, which is made to conform to the shape of the circular chamber l', and is preferably provided with tivo follower-heads E l', though if the engine isnot intended to be reversed one onlyjs seicient. 'lhe faces E l2 of said follower-heads are of helicoidal form, as clearly shown in said lastna-med iig-u res. I prefer to construct said piston in one piece; but it is obvious that the follower-heads may be made separatcly'and IOC . c, A l pipes MQMz, and M3 are collected, as shown in Fig. 4, and all communicate directly with the pipe M. When the engine is not to be operated by means of ordinary illuminating-gas,- the tank N is designed to be filled with naphtha for the purpose of carburcting the air which is pumped therein, and a cock n is therefore provided' for the purpose of with* drawing said naphtha when desired.

t) is a pipewhich communicates with the compression-tank N2, and connects in turn with a two-way cock l), Figs. l and 2, with which are connected pipes tl 02, leading to ports o o', Fig. 8, in the cylinder l-l. Branch pipes O O lead from said pipes O2, respectively, to ports o'l oii, one' ot' which is shown in full and the other indicated in dotted lines in .Fig. 'lhe portso o and o2 o serve, respectively, as induction or eduction ports, according to the direction in which the piston rotated. ll'hen revolved as indicated by the arrow in lfig. S, the pcrts o and ov are the inductimnports. Intel-posed in the p3, Fig. i), to which are attached rigid arms p", lfigsi and l, which are in turn loosely pivotcd to sliding rods l l2 Pi* l, provided with friction-rollers pf' upon their respective ends. A

O5 is an exhaust-pipe which connects with the cock l upon the opposite side from the pipe i). Said exhaust-pipe preferably carried upwardly in a spiral form through the tank N as shown-in l"i'f. 42 t'or the )ur ose' of raising the, temptnnture in said tank; but it. is obvious that it may serve equally well .as a simple exhaust without such extension. 'the arms ll"-' li l4 are loosely mounted in brurkets l", lfi'g. il, and are arranged to slide longitudinally in their respective bearings.

A segment (g, Fig. l, is mounted upon projecting studs q q', which are attached rigidly to the traine, said segni uit having slot-s q' q formed therein to permit a circular sliding movement' thereof upon said studs. A rack q2 upon said segment is engaged by a correspomling gear '1,- upon the end of a throttle- 'valve lever R, which is attached to and serves to actuate the two-way valve P. A notched Segment'y l and spring-catch li serve to retain the lever in any desired position. sliding segment. Q is provided with inclined planes o ql upon its respective ends, which serve to engage the t'rietion-rollers p", and thus in a measure regulate the position ot' the slides l l"- l" l", which are caused to slide inwardly toward the shaft C by means of springs q (1f, Fig. il.

Keyed to the slnil'l is a ily-wheel (V, Fig. 35, lbetween which and tho (,mgine-cylinder I provide a conc-shapwl erctuitric collar C2, which isadjustedto move lrnlgitudinally upon said shaft; and against which the inner ends of two el' the sliunu, rods normally abut, the other iiwo beine' lil-ld out wardly tlun'ef'i'om by the inclined pli-mec '1f' .f of tif .segment Q.

The'

The spline c causes said collar to revolve with th'e shaft.

C3 C3 are cylinders having guide-rods c c, l

tached to piston-rods c3 c3, which are rigidly secured to the rim of the ily-Wheel, as shown, are inserted Within the outer mds, respectively, of said'cylinders. Pipes c4 c4, having stop valves, are provided for forcing compressed air into said cylinders, so that they normally retain the positions shown in the drawings vwhen, the Hy-Wheel is at rest. Pivoted at c5 'upon the brackets'C4, attached to the fly-wheel, arebell-crank levers C5, the long arms of each of which are loosely fitted with* in a grooveformed in the collar C2, while the short arms are fitted by means of ball-joints in sockets formed in the cylinders C3 C3. The longitudinal movement of said cylinders is thus communicated to the collar C2, which is thereby caused to move back and forth upon say, two atmospheres,or such a degree in pro portion to the size of the engine as maybe found to be most desirable, land assuming the tank N2 to be filled with air at about the same pressure and the tank N to be filled with naphtha, and assuming the lever R to` be moved from a vertical posit-ion to that-shown in Fig. l, which causes the main or throttle valve P: to assume the position shown in Fig.

2, the compressed air and gas from said tank roo is permitted to enter the cylinder B, where it exerts a sufficient force upon the pistonE toy cause it to rotate, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. NVhen it has revolved sutiiciently to cause the dynamo J2 to generate a current of electricity, and the disk @immediately behind the piston, is in such a position that the contact-points ja j* are brought .into contact with the electrodes J J, (at which time the disk G will have vwholly closed the cylinder ll behind the pston,thereby forming an abutment orpartition,) an electric spark is generated at jg, (see lower part of Fig. 3,) and an explosion takes place between the piston and abutment. flo prevent injury from the violence of the explosion and to ilnpart an evcn and uniform movement to the piston E, comzmunication is established between the engine-cylinder and compression-cylindcrs byy cushion, which reacts upon the piston and forces the gas hack into the main cylinder to drive the piston The movement of the piston K4 aetnates the air-pump, drivingP the piston l upwardly and forcing thc air from its chamber inte the pipe Mbits return being prevented by means of thc cheekvalve 111,'Fig. 2. The reverse movement of the piston l, caused by the reaction of the compressed air in the ehamber'l, draws in a volume of air through the valve Iii. This action is repeated with each halfrevolntion of the piston E, the gears shown in Fig. 4 bcing so adjusted as to cause one or the other of the plates G2 to sweep oneI of the faces E2 of the piston E, forming a close joint there.L with, and thci contact-pointsj"4 are so arranged as to close the circuit with the poles of the dynamo the instant this action takes place, and thus produce an explosion. lt'I will be observed by reference to Fig. l that the sliding arms P? I are held in extreme abnormal positions by the faces q 1 /4 of the segmental plat-e q. This causes the valves p' p1 to remain open so long as the segment remains in such position, thereby retaining.,r the ports o o?, Fig. S, o'pen, during which time they act as exhaust-ports, while o oserve as admissionports, respectively. The latter are alternately opened and closed by means of the eccentric CL', as clearly shown in Fig. l. Tbe'extent to which they maybe opened 'is governed by the speed of the engine and the work to be per formed. Vhen the work is light and the speed becomes too great, the centrifugal force of the cylinders C" overcomes the resistance of the compressed air within said cylinders, and they move away from the center, and thus h v the action of the levers C" draw the collar C2 nearer to the fly-wheel, thus causing the ends of the sliding armsl"ll to he broughtiuto contact with the inclined face of said eccentric, which serves to but partially open the valves with which *allevare connected. 'hen runningr in the direction indicated, the pipes U3- (V serve as the admission-pipes, while the c.'\' haust is through the pipes 0i (l. 'lhe cylinders K li and nir-pumps l. L are likewise employed at this time, the others being idle. lfpon reversing thc lever lt the, @vlinders lil K3 and pumps lf lj" are brought into operation and the pipes t t l become the admissionpipes and U 0"* thc exbansepipes. 'lbe heat from theexhaust-pi pc.wb ich iscarried t] i rough the tank N, heats the naphtha in said tank, and the air which enters through the pipe tl and passes upwardly through the pcrl'orated l plate becomes biehlyrlntrerd with hydro.- carlion und passt-s into tht` tank Ni as :in tnv-- plosive compound.

lt is obvious t'lint when ordinariy ilnlnlnat in e'sg'as is employed the t-:irburetintptanlt mnv bc dispensed with; noz-is it in-t'tsfetryto lo employY the vomprtlssioimanlt s-wept .store the pnruinnthl poner tor stnrtintl the eng-ino. hie'. 'l' shows :t niotiiliwttion ot' the construction represented in the other figures, designed for the use of street-gas only. It will he seen that the 'pipe it! is carried di,- rectly to the pipe t), the a r and gas being drawn in h v the respective air-pumps. all of which communicate with said pipel O. In this forni itis necessary to startthe engine by rotating* the (ly-wheel before it will propel itself; but where the tanks N N are employed and it is desirable' to use street-'gas thegaso'- line may be withdrawn front the tank N, when air and illuminating-gas may be pumped in without further change. The heating of the gas and air hy means of the exhaust-pipe 05 is a consideral'ile advantage, andrthis fact, coupled with the facility with which the engine may he adapted to the use of either 'form of gras when the tanks N E are employed,

opening-r the throttlewalve, renders the use of thc said tanks desirable.

I do not confine myself to the special form ct' rotatingr disks in the main cylinder for creating abntments to resist the expioeen, as it is obvious that other means may he einploycd for that 1nxrpose-for example, the sliding ahutmcnts shown in nig patent, No. 2S2,5;'tl, et. iltugust 7, M33.

By increasingr the n n other ol' air-pu inps and comprcssionehamhers and connecting them with the main cylinder and providing additional ahutmentshnnl exhaust and. governing mechanism it. is obvious that the number ot' explosions may be increased. for each cycle of the piston, thereby enabling the power of the engine to be increased indefinitely.. This a great advantage in engines of this class. A further advai'itage is that the revolving disks cnt olif the exploded gas from thechaniber into which the nextsnececding explosion is to occur.

claim tation' piston having a followcihead of helicoidal form, one or more rot-ating disks arranged to sweep the face ot said followerbead and t'orm an abutment behind it, Wires electrically '.fonnefyted with a source of clectricity and arranged to complete the circuit and produce nu electric spark upon forming l theabuti'nentbehindsaidcylindexgnndmeans for int roduciugg; an explosivo ,aras to the cylinder, substantially as shown and deserlicd.

2. in a gas-engine, the combination of a tgvlinder. n roti'ttingl' piston having a helicai` faced tollower-h'ead, a rotating,r die-ik notched l ranliulliv from its1 ans and arranged to pass t ioiinedintrly in the rear ol' and form an abutment behind said cylinderduring'itsrotation, fand means. as irrt-gotti' gears, connecting with the mulo shalt t'or imparting an accelerating motion to said disk, substantially as 4shown and dost-ritual,

A lhe continuation, with the main c ilindcr l and piston ol' a fas-engine, ot a compressiona nd the tact that it maybe started by merely i. ln a {ras-engine, thc combination of a ro- Having thus described my invention, I'

cedono cylindcrsnd air-pun1p,en.ch. 'lievings seps- .v rete piston .but connected .by e common pis- Azo toni'od, ineens, es described, for injecting` e volume ofcompressed sirv upon one side of the piston' in the eoinpression'fcylinder, :L port upon Vthe opposite side of the piston lending to the :nain cylinder, t pipo connecting' the air-pnnip with the throttle-Valve, and ineens, :is specilicd, for introducing` nir and gas to scid air-pump, whereby the impnet oi the explosion may be cushioned and et the seine time utilized for pumping nir lind to the engine, substantially is sho Wn end described.

4l. lhe combination, with the cylindeiglo tating piston, and. ebntnienis ot e. ges-cugino,

and ineens, es set forth, for producing en seid cylinder,l ot' n 'compression-cylinder and en nir-pump having' connected pistonsrports, or ways between the mein end compression cylinders, sind e stor` l ege or compression tank. connected .i'ithsnid sir-punipend with the throttle-valve. substnntielly :is .shown and described.

5. The combination, with the cylinder, rotsting piston, and ebutments of :t gasengine, `end ineens, as specified, for producing an ex- A plosion of gas in seid cylindenoi .fi coin pres- 'spectivelyg introducing nir and y forcennccting the letter to the 'throttle-\'felve,

n for controlling sionecylinder and airpninphaving connected pistons, ports, or Ways between the mein and compression cylinders, sind e csrbureting and storage tank communicating with each other :sind with the ei r-pum p and. throttle-valve, re

substantielly es shown and described.

6. The conil'iinzttion, with the mein'I cylinder, rotating piston, and ebutinents ot zt gesengine, and incendies specified, for producing enexplosion of ges in seid cylindeigof. two or :more compressionfcylinders,V as K K',

communicating withA Seid main cylinder-,eJ

.corresponding number of nir-pumps lie-ving their pistons respccti vel y connected Withj pis tons insaid oo mpressiomehanibers, ineens for ges intossid pumps and sdniission' and exhaust ports, and mechanthe idniission of the e-ir 'este 'tbe former, substantially shown libed. 'l i l i1 if 'Vf eilgifnre,` the. coin n me fl, ton, notched reist;

disks arranged in planes radial to the axis of the cylinder, and eccentric, gear for impart ing' an acceleratingmotion to said disks, substantially es shown and described.

8. In e rotary with e helical faced piston, of rotating,- notched disks arranged in planes radial to the axis of the piston and provided with slidin'g pistes G2 and springs g3, substantially as shown and described.

9. The combination of the helical-faced piston E, r tingy disks G G G', having sliding' plates G2, Wires g5 gheving contact-points ffljl, electrodes J J, and electrical connections with a. source of. electricity, substantially as shown and described.

lO. The combination, with the main cylinder, rotating piston, and ebntinents of s gesengine, and ineens, es specified, for producin an explosion of gas in seid cylinder, of t series ci compression-cylinders communicating,- with seid mein cylinder, e 4series of eirpunips having. their pistons connected, respectively, with pistons in said,compression` cylinders, ineens, es specified, for introducing air sind ges into the mein cylinder by ineens of seid pumps, e two-wey throttlevalve admission and exhaust ports, and ineens, as specified, for governing the admission ci? seid sir and gas to the admissionports,whereby seid engine may be reversed `-end rmiv in opposite directions, substantially es shown end described.

, ll. The combination, with the admissionvelves of a gas-engine, of the cylinders C3, loosclyetteched to the fly-.wheel and held. nor- .molly against the hub by ineens of compressed eir therein, an eccentric collarloosely mounted upon the engine-shaft and connected with seid pistons by means of bell-crank .Pernis gas-engine, the combination,

levers, and in operative connection with seid 

